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2025-12-31-accounts

we aT coats AGM ANNUAL REPORT

Hello

In his song “Is He Worthy?”, Andrew Peterson picks up on the brokenness in our world, asking: “But do you know that all the dark won’t stop the light from getting through?”

In a world where the darkness can feel strong, it is good to notice the places where the light shines through as we proclaim Christ. There are several points of light I see in the life of our church.

For example, the many volunteers who work steadfastly when no one is looking: the grounds team, our midweek group volunteers, Bible study leaders, the visiting team (to name just a few!). Their work isn’t highly visible, but it speaks volumes. Our Father in heaven sees, and people will give glory to God because of it. Perhaps you can think of others who model this too—I’m sure you can!

Another point of light is our community involvement. Through ‘Knit and Natter’ on the estate, door-to-door outreach, singing in the Gables care home, and our Christmas offsite outreach, I see that we are making deeper connections. I’m confident that, undergirded by prayer, we can truly be a parish where local people are evangelised, discipled, and released for service.

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Our Sunday services are another encouragement. I see a desire among a core of people to grow spiritually, and those who serve -

through music ministry, leading public prayer, and other ministries - are seeking to do it better year by year. This is a real blessing to the congregation.

Of course, this year we’ve been disappointed not to successfully recruit a second clergy person. However, I’ve been telling everyone for long enough that God is sovereign—so I ought to believe it! The challenges we face are not the same as ten years ago when we appointed a second clergy person. I trust that God is leading us forward in ways that are right for the here and now. If we truly enjoy him, love one another, and share his word, we will see those points of light multiply.

Yours in Christ, Si Walker, Vicar

WE ARE PASSIONATE DISCIPLES

ENJOYING GOD FROM HIS WORD

LOVING ONE ANOTHER

SHARING HIS WORD THAT OTHERS MAY ENJOY HIM TOO

Adventurers Sunday 3-7 year olds

Adventurers is our 3-7 year old group that meets during the 11am service on Sunday mornings, apart from during All Age Services. We meet together in the vestry for a Bible story, drama, games, colouring, craft and a snack. The group numbers can vary from 3 to more than 10 but we have a happy time and the children all join in well at their various levels. The group has a warm atmosphere and the children seem to really enjoy it.

We have moved over to using material from Faith in Kids due to its simplicity and clarity both in preperation for the leaders and in message for the children. It is exciting to see the children 'get' things and watch their faces change as they understand something new about the Lord. Please pray for us as we continue to meet, particularly for new leaders and helpers to come alongside our wonderful existing team and for the children as the foundations of faith are laid week by week.

Mim Walker & Diane Jackson

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Springboard

Sunday 7-11 year olds

Springboard is a group for 7 –11 year olds meeting on Sunday mornings during the 11am service. We have around 8 regularly attending children. We meet in the church hall and we find this works well for us.

This term we have started using material from 'Faith in kids' and we plan to use this material going forward. We are currently looking at topic 'living in faith' by studying the book of James. The past year we have used material from 'Click’ to look at the topics of:

-God’s people under God’s rule in Gods land' (1 and 2 Samuel)

-God the Creator and Covenant Maker (Genesis)

-Through the eyes of Luke: a study of Jesus in Luke’s gospel.

Until recently we have had three team leaders who rotate to lead the sessions each week: Neil Baxter, Catherine Blyth and Rob Mayhew. Rob is now taking a break after the birth of his son. We are supported by co-leaders Susan Baxter, Judy Greenwood and Phil Mayhew.

We are thankful for everyone who has commited to helping out at Springboard over the last year and giving up their Sundays to teach. We ask for prayers with finding additional leaders and co-leaders and that can teach and help the children in an engaging way, to understand what it means to be a Christian and follow Jesus faithfully.

Catherine Blyth

Our Explorers are having another wonderful year. We said "goodbye" to a large chunk of the group last summer and it is wonderful to see many of them heading to Pathfinders each Tuesday. Now, our group is now a little smaller but oh so enthusiastic.

This year we have been working through the Attributes of God. Pre-Christmas we looked at God's Unique attributes - how he is a creator, sovereign, eternal and infinite. The children asked some great questions and learned big words like "omnipotent"!

We're now looking at God's Moral attributes - challenging each of us to be Christ-like in all of our actions. How can we be gracious, merciful, faithful and loving.

We've been blown away by how quickly they have learnt memory verses and even reminding us what they are!

A huge thank you to the great team we have week in and week out helping to teach, lead, provide snacks and play with the children. It is a pleasure to work alongside the team and be a part of this group sharing the love of Jesus. Emma Cooper | : : | ; & : 1) t ; a if A ‘

7 -11 year olds

Explorers

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pt ; Pe aCe Bi if i ae. & = ae . g Wy What a privilege it has . ne . A tems ‘ ‘age a been to see this group continue to grow this year. We regularly have around 23 -25 children attending on a Tuesday ; - far Wee evening to fellowship together ~ @ @es*< and study God's word. We started 2025 doing a series on the ten commandments, followed by a study on the practical application of our church verse of the year. We encourage the children to ask questions and we had some great ones this year. Our next series answered their questions on: How do we know God exists? What does God say about Homosexuality and gender? How do we know heaven and hell are real? Why did Jesus curse the fig tree? How is Christianity real and science is also real? Is it ok to have doubts? We are grateful that the children feel safe to ask these questions and that we have the opportunity to answer them. Summer term concluded with a water games night then a family picnic and games afternoon at St Bees. Autumn term commenced with a 6 part series on Ephesians, including a chaotic but fun 11-14 year olds

Autumn term commenced with a 6 part series on Ephesians, including a chaotic but fun pizza night! This was followed by advent study and December was of course filled with carol singing, and a Christmas party!

Thank you for your continued prayers for the hearts and minds of these wonderful young people. We praise God for their attendance and their desire to know Him more.

We would like to thank everyone who has given up their time to help keep the group running and we praise God for answered prayer as we welcomed Angela and Moni to the team.

Suzanne Lane, Jonathan Blyth and Rob Mayhew

I’m delighted to use the same words to describe the group that I used last year - We have a thriving group of wonderful teens who are truly engaged and enthusiastic in the group. We have great conversations every week and it comes across that they have a real thirst for a deeper knowledge of God. Whatever we throw at them; this group is all in.

We’ve been blessed this year by Andy, Si and Mim coming along to share their knowledge with the group and to deliver many talks across the year - a very big thank you to them. And thank you to all those who have stepped in to help when we’ve need assistance - we couldn’t keep the group going without you. As always, we’ve spent a lot of time helping the children to apply God’s teaching to their lives. We have followed a similar path to Pathfinders and have planned many sessions around the big questions that the youth asked. We were delighted to have Andy teach a series on Intelligent design - a great way to answer their questions about the bible and science not being opposed. We have also studied the book of Ephesians and completed a series from ‘Kaleidescope’ about gender and sexuality.

We value your prayers as we plan talks for 2026 that create solid foundations for them.

We praise God for the lives of these young people and pray that they continue to seek God first in all areas of their lives.

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Jake Little & Suzanne Lane
CYFA
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Jake Little & Suzanne Lane

A ‘Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.’ Psalm 100

It continues to be a real privilege to serve at St. John’s. We are so thankful for God’s faithfulness and for the opportunity to help lead worship.

We use the gift of music as a way of sharing the good news of Jesus. Through both older hymns and newer worship songs, we have been able to share the message of God’s grace, and salvation through Jesus, to both our regular congregation and also to visitors. It is encouraging to see how worship through music draws people together and helps to support the ministry of the church.

Our musicians and singers have shown commitment week after week. Whether for Sunday services at 9 and 11 o’clock or special services, such as Easter and Harvest, the team has faithfully given their time and talents. We give thanks that this year we were able to be part of two full Carols by candlelight services, including leading the wonderful congregational singing, an instrumental piece, and choral song too.

We thank God for the 20 members of the music team, (those who have served over the years, those who have joined more recently, and those who have moved on this year) for commitment to sharing the gospel through your gifts and help creating an atmosphere where people can encounter God. We have also appreciated the willingness of team members to be flexible and step in when needed, learn new songs, attend rehearsals, and support one another.

Of course, there are always areas where we can grow: - welcoming new musicians of all abilities and ages, meeting together to learn and pray, encouraging song choices that are Biblical, gaining confidence and spirit filled leading, and continuing to balance the familiar with the contemporary.

We hope to build on this in the coming year.

Thank you for your encouragement and prayers, and we look forward to another year of praising God together.

Music

Debra Swinburn

Hand Bells

After collecting the handbells again from Mark Cubey, (we had given him the bells back when we knew we wouldn’t be using them for Christmas 2024), we began to practice a couple of themed pieces for the Easter Sunday service.

Moving forward to October… We managed to recruit 2 adults and 2 juniors and now had a band of 15. When not everyone could attend all practices and none of the newbies had ever done handbells before and the 2 juniors could only give half an hour before CYFA we managed to play 2 pieces for both of the church carol services as well as Johnson House’s carol service and an off the cuff concert at Emmaus.

As usual we are always looking for new ringers to join us. We will be losing the 2 adult learners in the summer.

We have begun practicing for Easter now so if you are interested call by on a Monday at 6.30.

Thank you to Mark again for the use of his magnificent bells.

You can contact us via graysoo@btinternet.com

Soo Gray

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We try to keep the bells ringing each week but struggle with illnesses and absences. As always we are grateful to friends and visitors who augment our own ringers, mostly from Whitehaven, St James.

We held practices at the start of the year to teach our young ringers to handle the bells. They were quick learners and are now valuable members of our Sunday band. As always with youngsters, they have many pressures on their time and it’s difficult to move their skills on. They have had one outing with the Herdwicks who are a band of young ringers within the Diocese.

As always we would like to recruit new or returning ringers to ring for services and events. We can be flexible on training times. Please do come and see what we do and arrange a suitable learning time. We do have several new ringers in the area but not in our church at the moment. It would be great to have more ringers from St Johns.

This year we have had visitors from South Wales, Lancashire, the Codgers ( midweek ringers from Cumbria and around) and from the Ladies Guild. Also a return visit from one time Hensingham ringer Caroline and her daughter Anna. We rang for Easter Sunday and Christmas day and also for VE day.

Maintenance included replacement of stays on two of the bells. These are made of ash which is becoming harder to source due to disease. We have run out and need to replenish our stock of spares. We have a wet wall in the ringing room which will need to be stripped when the church masonry has been repointed in the spring.

Gordon Gray

Tower Bells

I rejoice with those who said to me "Let us go to the house of the Lord"

Safer recruitment and Training Our parish supports the following groups working with children, young people and adults who may be vulnerable:

Our parish supports the following groups working with children, young people and adults who may be vulnerable:

Adventurers, Springboard, Explorers, Pathfinders, CYFA, Visiting Team, CAP, Music Group and Bell ringers.

The football school helpers and leaders were also subject to church of England safer recruitment pathways-for all these groups this includes interview, taking up of references, DBS checks at the appropriate level and encouraging all volunteers to complete the safeguarding training recommended by the church of England for their role.

As part of the PSO role, I keep a record of when DBS and training modules need renewal (every 3 years now for both), and flag up to volunteers when updating is needed. It has been testament to the recognition of the importance of the safeguarding processes that the vast majority of our volunteers have been happy to respond to my emails about renewing training promptly and without the need for reminders!

To develop the resilience of this over-view, I am now in the process of entering all our volunteer’s data onto the Parish Safeguarding Hub. This has been set up by the Church of England to help manage recruitment and training for parishes, and though will take work to set up, should make the process of keeping track of training and DBS update requirements much easier in the future.

Currently there are 69 people in regular volunteering posts with a current DBS check and a further four people going through the appointment process. I have been well supported by the DSA (diocesan safeguarding advisor) when I have needed to discuss any safeguarding concerns this year.

Ongoing training in the form of Safeguarding Masterclasses for PSOs have been provided by the DSA and been very informative.

We are now in the process of recruiting to the Deputy PSO role.

The PCC continues to adopt the safeguarding policy and guidance issued by the House of Bishops -much of which is displayed on the safeguarding noticeboard in the hall and can be accessed via the St Johns website. The most up to date source of safeguarding information can be found in the safeguarding e-manual on the Church of England’s website. The recent synod has made new recommendations about safeguarding procedures, so we will continue to take advice to ensure we are up to date with our policies and practice.

Thank you for continuing to support the safeguarding work to keep people safe and for assisting by undertaking the training required and applying for new or renewed DBS checks. Thanks also to Sue Lane, who has streamlined the admin side of safer recruitment since she started in the church administrator role.

Heather Naylor

Sound & Visuals

) Visuals E 'mh vi ere | ae | zl 4 —_ b Over the past we have seen some changes in personnel within both teams (new people starting, others moving onto new churches and the armed forces).

We replaced the lamp in the main projector in April as it failed but over the past few weeks, we have noticed a deterioration in the projected images. Discussions with the system installers indicate that the main electronics within the projector are starting to fail, which given that the projector was manufactured in 2013, this is, perhaps, not surprising.

We are actively working with AV suppliers to identify suitable solutions to this issue.

In addition to supporting our normal Sunday services, AV team members also supported Christmas services for Jericho, Mayfield & Hensingham schools. We still need to expand the core capabilities of the teams so we can further support the work of the church, in particular, in the ability to live stream services, funerals & weddings.

New people willing to join both teams are always welcome and appropriate training will be provided.

David Holburt & Stephen Jackson

Pastoral Visiting Team

The pastoral visiting team have contact with people who are no longer able to come to church & we either visit them in their own homes or telephone them for a chat, whichever they prefer.

It's a privilege & a joy to share such times & we want people to know that they are still a part of our church family even though they are unable to attend services.

Monthly Communion continues at Walkmill Court and Johnson House & Yvonne Owen accompanies Si on those occasions. Some people receive Communion in their own homes & a member of the team will accompany Si. Sadly, over the past year, a few friends in our church family have died but we are grateful for the times we shared & the love & support we've been able to offer when needed. We know there are many other people in church who offer the same caring support to our church family with visits & phone calls & we are thankful for them.

Our visiting team members at the moment are: Susan Baxter, Julian Berkeley, Kay Cartmell, Judith Hodgson, Yvonne Owen & Enid Starkey.

If you know of anyone who would like a visit or a telephone chat please let Si or one of the team know &, if anyone would like to join us on the visiting team, please don't hesitate to get in touch.

Susan Baxter, Enid Starkey, Yvonne Owen, Kay Cartmell, Julian Berkeley and Judith Hodgson

Doorstep Outreach

Our small team has slightly grown over the year as we continue delivering the monthly Good News newspapers in our outreach onto the Hensingham estate. We use the newspaper and Gospels from the Pocket Testament league which have a clear explanation of the Gospel message of salvation in them. Each team of 2 visit monthly about 20-30 homes at each visit which, depending on the conversations, can take around an hour in total.

Many of those doorstop conversations develop and we have had lovely invites inside for coffee and opportunities to invite people to church, outreach events and have had many opportunities to pray with people.

We now have some people who attend church regularly and have immersed themselves into church life.

We had the second part of the Outreach UK “Casting Your Nets” training which was also attended by CAP befrienders and other mission community churches. We looked at “What is the Gospel? and how to share it”

The work has many facets and we are looking to grow the team. Please consider if this is something that you feel God may be calling you do.

1) Monthly delivering of newspapers

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Doorstep Outreach

If you would like to accompany one of us one month to see how it works or if you would be willing to be available for followup meetings then please get in touch with Si, Suzanne or Phil.

You may also wish to consider joining our Whats App prayer group who encourage and support us as we venture out each month, praying for us and the families and people we visit.

Our desire is to build relationships and share our faith so more people can come to know Jesus as their Saviour.

“However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me - the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace” Acts 20:24 (NIV)

Phil Sisson

Christmas Unwrapped

On 29 November 2025, we had Christmas Unwrapped. It was a lovely afternoon where everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. The hall was packed with people doing crafts, jumping on the bouncy castle, having tea and cake or lining up for candy floss. It was so encouraging to see so many people who came in from the community, who are not part of St Johns.

We had musicians playing Christmas carols in the foyer, welcoming people in. In the church we had games set up, and the NISCU puppet show came to entertain everyone, but still gave the true meaning of Christmas. Mike Taylor then did a talk, including the children.

It is with great thanks to all the folk who helped on the day and provided cakes for the tea.

It was a wonderful afternoon, enjoyed by everyone.

Mel Turner

This has been a busy year for CAP. We have done Befriender training, with Phil Sisson doing the training. She was supported with Outreach UK, and had many books and leaflets that were given out. This was well supported by the church and our partnership churches.

Pat and Paul Smith did two CAP Money Courses this last year, one of them was partnering up with Goodlives, and doing it on their premises. The other training was held at the Cornerstone Bookshop.

In June was the annual United Conference in Bradford. It was a good day, attended by Si, Karl and myself.

Fare Share came to an end in May last year for us, but we linked up with Phoenix food bank. They continued to give food to clients until the end of October. The Bible Studies made wonderful food hampers for the clients for Christmas, and Phoenix gave us 6 food vouchers for clients as well.

Jackie Wilinson continues to do talks in the different churches about CAP, and we have done 4 CAP Sundays at the different churches, with one still to be done in April.

Phill Mayhew has been working tirelessly to secure a new grant for CAP. He has also coordinated the monthly prayer meetings.

We have had nine clients go debt free this year, and I am still working with seven clients in various stages of their journey out of debt.

CAP is in the process of changing all the systems we work on, so no new clients were taken on in January, to help us get all the clients to a certain point in the process. But these two missed clients can be added at any time in the year. I would like to thank all the befrienders and volunteers we have in

I would like to thank all the befrienders and volunteers we have in Whitehaven. They are all so encouraging for me, and I could not do this job without them.

Mel Turner

CHRISTIANS AGAINST POVERTY

Seniors Tea The 2025 Senior’s Party took place on Saturday 14 th December and as ever it was a privilege to host this special Afternoon Tea event for the wonderful ‘Seniors’ of St John’s Parish Church. This year was a particularly poignant one, as we have said goodbye to many of our senior friends who have died in this last 12 months- and the tone of the afternoon reflected that somewhat. The afternoon commenced with melodies from our wonderful handbell ringers as our guests arrived. Over 100 guests were invited and although turnout this year was down slightly on previous years, it didn’t dampen the atmosphere of sharing fellowship, memories and food and fun!

Tea was followed by a musical interlude from our favourite “crooner” Malcolm Dowler, after which the Explorer children gave out their hand-made gifts to all our guests. A special thank you to Malcolm for sharing his musical talents and to the Explorer leaders and children for faithfully providing gifts made with such love once again.

Our very own Explorer Leader Emma Cooper then delivered a special Christmas Epilogue – encouraging and challenging us in our own faith as we approached the season of the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ.

As ever, we are indebted to everyone who contributed to making this a special time. From those of you who provide food, donations, and help with all the preparations, as well as all of you who gladly serve on the day. Particular thanks to Joanne for playing the piano and leading our carols, to Stephen who organised the car parking this year, to Si and Glynn delivering our Grace and Blessing respectively, and to Neil and Paul working their special magic in the kitchen once again!

The biggest thanks of course go to you our guests for graciously attending – we couldn’t do it without you! So if you are 65 or above, we hope you’ll join us again on 12 th December 2026.

I Thessalonians 1:2 We always thank God for all of you and continually mention you in our prayers.

Diane, Audrey, Sarah & Kay

Bible Study Groups

The past year we have studied Beyond Eden, Salvation Revealed and Life with Jesus.

We value your continued prayer for leaders and bible study groups.

We continue to ask for the Lord to raise up new leaders and hosts.

We believe that bible studies create a great opportunity to examine the scripture's.

The purpose of a bible study is to share fellowship and to care pastorally for each other and of course study the scriptures together. We believe that prayer should be at the heart of these activities, as we depend on our God completely to work amongst us.

There is immense value in this because of God working through the bible to help us understand and strengthen our faith. The Word of God is alive and active.

Karl Turner

The Ladies Bible study meets on the second Monday of the month at 10am in the church lounge.

During the last 12 months our study book was the “I AM sayings of Jesus” taken mostly from John’s gospel. We looked at the amazing claims Jesus made about Himself, and how these claims have an impact on our lives.

For our December meeting, we enjoyed reading the familiar story of Jesus’ birth from Luke’s gospel, focussing on His mother Mary.

Ladies Our book for this year is “Promises Kept”. Throughout The Bible, God makes promises to mankind, and we learn how Bible God keeps His promises through one person - Jesus. Study

After our study and discussion, there are a quiet few moments to reflect and then join in prayer. The meeting ends with refreshmenst and a time of fellowship and encouragement with each other.

Ladies Bible Study

James 1:22 Do not merely listen to the Word and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.

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Val Tyson

It has been another wonderful year of fellowship - growing together, supporting each other in study and prayers. We have had the joy of welcoming new members to the group.

We spent the first part of last year studying the Gospel of Luke, chapters 1-9, before moving onto the Book of Proverbs, focusing on understanding what Wisdom is and how to read Proverbs properly to apply it in our daily lives. We are now returning to Luke to complete the rest of the Gospel, praying that it will deepen our love for Jesus and strengthen us to live our lives for him.

I’ve had the privilege of leading Living Room alongside Mike and other previous leaders. It hasn’t always been easy, as I have often seen myself as a young Christian who knows very little — and in many ways, I still feel that way. Yet with the help of the Holy Spirit and the encouragement and support of the other leaders, I have grown a lot since the beginning.

I’m grateful that David will now be taking on the role of leading the studies alongside Mike, and I’m encouraged to see the group continue to grow under their leadership.

Living Room

Mike Taylor & Tommy Choy

Chinese Bible Study Our Chinese Bible Study Group currently has 16 members, with an average attendance rate over 90%. In 2025, we welcomed one new member, Sister Jane, who has been baptised with her husband, Mr. Kwok Keung Li. She is now joining our group so as to understand the Bible truth. By the grace of our God, three members, Mr. Chi Ming Cheung, Mdm. Ying Lau and Mr. Robin Li, have already made confirmation prayers to receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior in 2025. Mr. Robin Li was baptized on the 26th November. Madam Ying Lau is currently attending the training course for new believers and is a few lessons behind her husband, Mr. Chi Ming Cheung. v

Bible Progress

Our group has finished studying the book of Mark and start studying the book of Acts this year, with an aim to help our team members to understand the establishment and growth of early church and the work of Holy Spirit. It also encourages our members to become witnesses on the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ and to actively proclaim the gospel. Our mission and goals are:

Outreach Ministry

On 24th February 2026, we will continue to organize the “Chinese New Year Gospel Gathering”. We have invited some non-Christian Chinese friends to join us. We are so happy to have our Vicar Simon to come and share the gospel and love of God with all the participants.

To & Grace

Baptisms y th

We have continued to conduct baptism preparation classes and feel it is making the right level of demand upon families. It takes motivation to engage with the process and effort for us to run classes, but the quality of conversations and relationships are good as a result.

16 baptisms have been conducted since the last report. 6 were on the basis of making their own promises and 10 were children presented by parents and godparents who made promises on their behalf. Of those who made their own promises, 3 were either at home or in hospital due to ill health. I haven't done baptisms in this context before, but it was wonderful to focus on the Lord's great promises to his people in baptism. y th

I feel convicted that we need more teaching about baptism as a church and that we should seek to be obedient in this area. Anglicans believe that baptism is a means of grace (Book of Common Prayer, Cathechism). This means that in baptism God communicates some of the blessings of faith to us. The scripture that alerts us to this is the precedent of circumcision in Romans 4:11, where circumcision was a sign and a seal of the righteousness that came by faith. In other words the sign is more than a badge, but designed to do something. Watch this space for more teaching!

Si Walker

Mission Partners

Sam from The Leprosy Mission came to update St John’s on their valuable work last spring. Sam has now moved into another role following the birth of his latest child, and we look forward to welcoming Kathryn Lamport in April to give us a 2026 update. Recent prayer letters from TLM highlight the impact of storms on people with leprosy, especially Mozambique as communities rebuild their lives after catastrophic flooding. Pray for protection for people affected by leprosy facing cyclones, droughts and other climate disasters.

Mission Partners

We were delighted to welcome Khalid from Mountain Spring Ministries, who was able to tell us more about the work that they are doing in Iran and Pakistan. They faced many challenges in 2025, including the loss of a vital media studio and equipment after a building collapse. We pray for the team as they continue to face many challenges but bodly proclaim the truth of Jesus.

2025 also brought us a visit from the Walker family in Argentina and it was wonderful to hear of the expanding work that they are doing with Crosslinks, along with their growing team. Pray for the continued growth of their work.

Cumbria Christian Youth Camp held another successful camp in 2025 and preparations are underway for 2026. Pray for the team as they overcome the many challenges that they continue to face in holding the camp each year.

Ben & Liz Griffin continue to work with One Hundred Fold, making the gospel available to those for whom access is restricted by persecution. The number of countries where Christians face high to extreme persecution has risen from 40 to 76 between 1993 and 2023 - almost double - and we praise God for the work that is done to share the gospel through the use of mobile technology. Pray for safety and wisdom for the team as they distribute the media. If you wish to learn more about their work, you can attend a one day conference in Cheshire in mid May.

Romuald & Liz Lasnes continue to grow their planted church in the 11th district of Paris, working with the European Mission Fellowship. They were pleased to hold their first carol service as Église Oberkampf in December 2025. Please pray for continued growth to enable the plant to be sustained in the long term.

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Mission Partners

Mission Partners

It was a pleasure to welcome Fiona from AEM in February as she came to St John’s to provide an update on their work. Fiona has also provided the following report:

About the Albanian Evangelical Mission

Established in 1986, the Albanian Evangelical Mission (AEM) seeks to support Gospel work, prayerfully and financially, amongst Albanians, while also ensuring that needs for prayer are communicated to our supporters.

What we do

How can you pray?

Fiona Ernest

Mission Partners

Mission Partners

St Johns Church has continued its support for NISCU (Northern-Inter Schools Christian Union), who work in schools across the local area and other parts of Cumbria, Eden, Craven and North Lancs.

NISCU produced a document a few years ago entitled ‘Your 4-18 Community’, which is a ‘simple’ tool, for individuals and churches, to look how we interact and support the 4-18 year olds in our community, focussing on the following:

o What ages do you have? Are there lots of children/young children? What schools are in your community?

o Do any children /young people attend your church on a Sunday/attend midweek meetings/groups?

o Do you have parents and grandparents in your church?

o Do you pray for your children or young people specifically throughout the year

Some questions for us to consider sometimes as we look at our work in the parish. In the West Cumbria area, we have two NISCU workers, as well as the Primary Puppet Teams and volunteers who provide support in the schools:

As I mentioned last year, it has been encouraging to see the progress of the work in our specific area:

Mission Partners

Mission Partners

Jericho School: Clubs including ‘Recharge’ (focusing

upon Bible Stories/Big Questions) and ‘Rooted’ (a

Scripture Union

course looking at issues such as self-worth, identity, social

media etc with a faith element and a chance to explore what

God has to say in these areas). Alongside this Paul and Suzanne Cooper provide a ‘Listening Service’ in the school, which is greatly appreciated.

The Primary Puppets continue to provide puppet assemblies across the year covering different themes: ‘Kindness Counts’ (story of Zacchaeus), ‘The Lost Sheep’, ‘A Very Merry YuleTube show’ (the Christmas play which was first seen at our Christmas Unwrapped) and ‘A Donkeys Tale’ leading up to Easter.

The important thing enabling the work to go forth is the PRAYER provided by those supportive of the work. On a weekly basis, an email is sent out (‘Stand in the Gap’) providing information and prayer points for the week ahead. Alongside this, a quarterly prayer letter is sent out, both electronically and in paper format. If people would like to receive these, get in touch with us. (Copies of the prayer letter are available at the back of church).

As a church, let us pray for the schools in our local area and how we, as a church or as individuals, can be involved and support them (e.g. governors,

teachers/teaching assistants, prayer for a local school). It is encouraging the links we have, as a church, with both Hensingham and Jericho Primary Schools. Thanks again for your support: it is much appreciated.

Neil Baxter

Mission Partners

St Andrew’s, St John’s, St Bridget’s, Church Mission on the Moor Communities

The East Whitehaven Mission Community consists of Church on the Moor (Cleator Moor), St Andrew's Mirehouse, St Bridget's Moresby and ourselves. We have continued our usual pattern of coming together for joint services on Ash Wednesday, Maundy Thursday, Ascension Day and Pentecost.

We celebrate with Church on the Moor that a second elder has been appointed to support Joe Pearson as lead pastor. John Stoker grew up in St John's and has been with the core team since the beginning when they met at Joe's house and prayed for God to do something in Cleator Moor. What a joy to see how he has grown since the first talk I remember him giving at CYFA many years ago.

The Ministers of the Mission Community meet occasionally for support and prayer. It usually involves coffee at the Howling Wolf! We feel blessed to be partnered together as churches with so many shared values. We can truly say, 'how good and pleasant it is when God's people live together in unity!' (Psalm 133:1)

The hope of St John's is that one day another church may be added to our number, if we can seek the Lord and raise up a planting team.

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B.| J eae, ee 5 ef a s | ~ we ad | a. ie ~ wpa School Links School work developed this year, with Mayfield School holding their first Remembrance Service in church. This was a special time where the pupils —i_ took part in readings and brought art work. Mayfield also had a carol service with us which was their first carol service for several years at St John's. The children have a variety of additional needs and it was wonderful to see their confidence. The ramp that we purchased during the chancel alterations enabled a wheelchair user to join fellow pupils on the chancel area. Weekly assemblies have continued at Hensingham Primary School which I really enjoy taking. This feels like important parish work where I can be present in the community. The children know several songs, are confident to pray the Lord's prayer and of course enjoy acting. This school year we have been going through John's Gospel, with brief detours into occasions like Valentine's Day asking: 'where does true love come from?' We always have fun together and I pray they will be the next generation of believers and leaders in the church if God brings revival. Who knows if they will visit St John's for weddings or baptisms, maybe to join us on a Sunday in future, if they start asking the big questions? I take the long view!

Hensingham Primary came for their annual carol service in church and Jericho Primary divided the children by key stage and came over 4 days for their carols! They run the service, but I begin with a welcome and prayer. My thanks go to the volunteers who operate sound and visuals and help facilitate use of the building by locking up and cleaning.

Si Walker

Two meetings of the synod have taken place this year, the most notable of which consisted of an address by the new Bishop of Carlisle. It was encouraging to hear that Bishop Rob’s strategy to see people equipped to minister and use their gifts wherever they are connects closely our own vision of growing passionate disciples.

In addition to discussion of Deanery business, reports were received from Network Youth Church and the Diocesan Synod.

St John’s Hensingham is represented by our clergy, and lay members Andy and Paul, but we are allocated a further lay member position. It would be good if someone was able to fill that vacancy. Deanery Synod members will elect members to the next General Synod during 2026.

The main work underway this year has been the re-pointing of stonework on the weather-beaten south side of the church and on the south and west sides of the tower. The process involved the chiselling out of the old cement from between the stones, which has been completed, then a period of drying out until the Spring when the contractors will return to re-point the areas with traditional lime mortar. There are some other areas of the building that will require similar treatment in due course

Some of the windows in the church hall are now rotten and require replacement and this is will also take place in the Spring.

Fabric & Wardens

Fabric & Wardens

The weather seems to have been exceptionally wet at times this winter and we have experienced a couple of significant water ingress incidents; in the Chancel above the organ and next to the Vestry door. These were due to slipped tiles and a broken gutter respectively, both of which have now been repaired although it did highlight that the gutters are nearing the end of their life.

The existing heating system, although down to one boiler, has continued to function reasonably through the winter but we are hoping to replace it with a more efficient solution this year subject to a suitable system design and Diocese approval.

After a recent tree inspection, it has been recommended that the three Ash trees near the front of the site are removed as they are affected by Ash Dieback disease. We will have to apply for permission to do this work. These are not our oldest or largest trees and hopefully their removal will not seriously impact the overall look of the grounds. They will be replaced by trees of another species.

During the year, the fire extinguishers and alarm systems have been checked and maintained and the building electrical systems are coming up for their 5-yearly examination soon.

Later this year, we will invite our Architect to carry out the next Quinquennial (5yearly) inspection to identify what further or ongoing work is required.

Rich Davey & Ann Christian

PCC

The number on the church electoral roll is 187 , up from 181 in 2025.

There were 7 regular meetings of the PCC during the year, and one additional meeting for the commencement of a culture review as recommended by the Bishop of Ebbsfleet.

As well as the regular standing reports some of the items agreed or discussed were as follows:

David Pugh

Thank PCC You

We want to say thank you to all the volunteers at St John’s who facilitate the work and activities that you have read about in this booklet.

Through your hard work, we are fulfilling our aims to

enjoy God from His word,

to love one another and

to share His word that others may enjoy Him too.

What a privilege!

We praise God that He continues to lift up people who are willing to serve.

Egremont Road Si Walker Hensingham Vicar Cumbria simon@stjohnshensingham.org.uk CA28 8QW

St Johns Hensingham Accounts 2025

Registered Charity No: 1127413

Statement of Financial Activities

----- Start of picture text -----
Unrestricted Designated Restricted Endowment 2025 Total 2024 Prior
Funds Funds Funds Funds Funds Year Funds
Income and endowments from:
Donations and legacies £ 167,692 £ 41,045 £ 208,737 £ 207,832
Income from charitable activities £ 2,736 £ 2,736 £ 3,702
Other trading activities £ 487 £ 35 £ 522 £ 1,353
Investments £ 2,945 £ 2,945 £ 3,175
Total income £ 173,860 £ 41,080 £ 214,940 £ 216,062
Expenditure on:
Expenditure on charitable activities -£ 123,221 -£ 26,959 -£ 33,469 -£ 183,650 -£ 210,797
Total expenditure -£ 123,221 -£ 26,959 -£ 33,469 -£ 183,650 -£ 210,797
Net income / (expenditure) resources before transfer £ 50,639 -£ 26,959 £ 7,610 £ 31,290 £ 5,265
Transfers -£ 22,769 £ 22,769
Other recognised gains / losses
Net movement in funds £ 27,870 -£ 4,190 £ 7,610 £ 31,290 £ 5,265
Total funds brought forward -£ 10,671 £ 112,394 £ 57,686 £ 159,409 £ 154,144
Total funds carried forward £ 17,199 £ 108,204 £ 65,297 £ 190,699 £ 159,409
Represented By:
Unrestricted
General fund £ 17,199 £ 17,199 -£ 10,671
Designated
Associate Vicar Designated RESERVE £ 20,000 £ 20,000 £ 20,000
Building Fund Designated RESERVE £ 33,140 £ 33,140 £ 37,699
CAP Designated RESERVE £ 4,000 £ 4,000 £ 4,000
Church Plant Designated
Evangelism Designated £ 50,000 £ 50,000 £ 50,000
MissionD £ 1,064 £ 1,064 £ 695
£ 108,204 £ 108,204 £ 112,394
Restricted
Associate Vicar Restricted £ 26,026 £ 26,026 £ 8,914
CAP Restricted £ 24,587 £ 24,587 £ 31,336
CAP Special Projects £ 3,348 £ 3,348 £ 3,348
FareShare CAP £ 2,340 £ 2,340 £ 4,424
Church Plant Restricted
Gift Day £ 5,166 £ 5,166 £ 5,166
Evangelism Restricted
Mission Restricted £ 0 £ 0 £ 200
Local Hardship Fund £ 367 £ 367 £ 367
Harvest £ 25 £ 25 £ 629
Bellringers Fund £ 3,200 £ 3,200 £ 3,145
CYFA
Pathfinders £ 96 £ 96 £ 96
Explorers Group £ 80 £ 80
Tiny Tots £ 61 £ 61 £ 61
Ephesians Fund
£ 65,297 £ 65,297 £ 57,686
Grand Total Funds £ 190,699 £ 159,409
----- End of picture text -----

Page 1 of 5

St Johns Hensingham Accounts 2025

Registered Charity No: 1127413

Balance Sheet

Current assets 2025 Total
Funds		 2025 Total
Funds		 Funds
2024 Prior
Year Funds
Debtors £ 8,095
£		 7,127
£
Cash at bank and in hand £ 185,768
£		 160,811
£
Liabilities £ 193,863
£		 167,938
£
Creditors: Amounts falling due in one year -£ 3,164
-£		 8,529
-£
-£ 3,164
-£		 8,529
-£
Total net assets less liabilities £ 190,699
£		 159,409
£
Unrestricted
Designated
Restricted		 £
£
£		 17,199
£
108,204
£
65,297
£		 10,672
-£
112,394
£
57,686
£
Grand Total £ 190,699
£		 159,409
£
Approved by the Parochial Church Council and signed on its behalf by:
Approved bythe Parochial Church Council and signed on its behalf by:
Signed:…..........................................................................................................................................
fut
SINC
Sssiissansa Masssscssccssscanscaassncscssesaccaneuasebiesnsioesisseunseisiiatesssabaiinanensassoianinavedaicncassenascussecaieaeases,		 Date:…..............................................................................
Jan15,2026
 DERBUwcasvesresvssienasessennssesavescsearasasesenavivasuseaacearescareonssseen
Rev. Simon Walker
Name:…...........................................................................................................................................
INNINGscisssacicccsiccsvscssincsssisascotbaictuasiiinsicsstadesmasduassacabanpauinauesssedseatisessdoneeswaeinausaoesiuussibocauaoutenemaatieeiew

Independent Examiner's Report to the Trustees of St John's Hensingham Parochial Church Council.

I report on the accounts of the church for the year ended 31st December 2023 which are set out on pages 1 to 5.

Respective Responsibilities of Trustees and Examiner

The church's trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The church's trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year under section 144(2) of the Charities Act 2011 and that an independent examination is needed.

It is my responsibility to:

Basis of Independent Examiner's report

My examination was carried out in accordance with the genral Directions given by the Charity Commission.

An exmintion includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeking explanations from you as trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit and consequently no opinion is given as to whether the accounts present a 'true and fair view' and the report is limited to those matters set out in the statement below.

Independent Examiner's statement

In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention:

2) to which in my opinion attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. Signed:….......................................................................................................................................... ver aun Date:….............................................................................. 02 12aQG COS 1k frage Name:…........................................................................................................................................... Namen. 7.» 2) O\ © ph Cart Nd ak -

Page 2 of 5

St Johns Hensingham Accounts 2025

Registered Charity No: 1127413

Statement of Assets and Liabilities

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2025 Total 2024 Prior
General Designated Restricted Endowment Funds Year Funds
Current assets - Cash at bank and in hand
Business Reserve Account (Nat West) £ 10,001 £ 83,784 £ 46,457 £ 140,242 £ 106,381
CBF Church of England Deposit Fund (CCLA) £ 1,575 £ 23,039 £ 11,502 £ 36,117 £ 34,533
Current Account (Nat West) £ 211 £ 2,581 £ 6,570 £ 9,361 £ 19,820
Petty Cash - £ 48 £ 48 £ 77
Totals £ 11,836 £ 109,404 £ 64,529 £ 185,768 £ 160,811
Current assets - Debtors
Debtors - £ 6,892 £ 1,203 £ 8,095 £ 7,127
Liabilities - Creditors: Amounts falling due in
one year
Creditors - -£ 1,529 -£ 1,200 -£ 435 -£ 3,164 -£ 8,529
Grand total £ 17,199 £ 108,204 £ 65,297 £ 190,699 £ 159,409
Fund Movement by Type
Copy this table from tab "Funds pg3"
Sum of Start Sum of Sum of Sum of Sum of
FUNDS (Notes) Balance Income Expenditure Transfer Value
General (1) -£10,671 £173,860 -£123,221 -£22,769 £17,199
Unrestricted Total -£10,671 £173,860 -£123,221 -£22,769 £17,199
Associate Vicar RESERVE £20,000 £20,000
Building Fund RESERVE (2) £37,699 -£10,559 £6,000 £33,140
CAP RESERVE £4,000 £4,000
EvangelismD £50,000 £50,000
MissionD £695 -£16,400 £16,769 £1,064
Designated Total £112,394 -£26,959 £22,769 £108,204
Associate Vicar R (3) £8,914 £18,110 -£999 £26,026
CAPR £31,336 £13,402 -£20,151 £24,587
CAP Special Projects £3,348 £3,348
FareShare £4,424 £834 -£2,918 £2,340
Gift Day (4) £5,166 £3,978 -£3,978 £5,166
MissionR (5) £200 £2,749 -£2,949 £0
Local Hardship £367 £367
Harvest £629 £398 -£1,001 £25
Bellringers £3,145 £55 £3,200
Pathfinders £96 £96
Tiny Tots £61 £61
PlantR £418 -£418
Ephesians Fund £856 -£856
Explorers £280 -£200 £80.00
Restricted Total £57,686 £41,080 -£33,469 £65,297
Grand Total £159,409 £214,940 -£183,650 £190,699
----- End of picture text -----

Notes to Transfers:

1) The General fund is healthy this year finishing the year net positive. It includes a £5,476 contribution to hall chairs (funded from Gift Day funds)

2) Building reserves are built up by £6,000 per year movement from the General fund. This year £10,559 spent on Quinnquennial works to clear vegetation from the roofs and gullies by rope access technicians which represents a considerable saving over traditional scaffold access.

3) Associate Vicar fund has built up over the year. Expenditure of £999 on advertising to fill the vacancy

5) Mission Restricted fund was used to collect and distribute donations to Leprosy Mission, Mountain Springs Ministries and to the Walker family serving in Argentina.

Page 3 of 5

St Johns Hensingham Accounts 2025

Registered Charity No: 1127413

Analysis of income and expenditure

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2025 Total 2024 Prior
SOFA Heading (Notes) Nominal Unrestricted Designated Restricted Funds Year Funds
Donations and Legacies GAGiving £90,262 £22,543 £112,805 £106,474
NGAGiving £34,091 £5,860 £39,951 £30,043
Collection £13,110 £224 £13,334 £11,599
OtherGiving £4,172 £4,019 £8,191 £23,652
GiftAidRecovered £26,058 £4,809 £30,866 £22,741
Grant £2,082 £2,082 £13,323
FundRaisingIncome
Legacy £1,508 £1,508
Donations and Legacies Total £167,692 £41,045 £208,737 £207,832
Income from Charitable Activities Fees £2,321 £2,321 £2,637
Hall Letting £415 £415 £1,065
Income from Charitable Activities Total £2,736 £2,736 £3,702
Other trading activities BkStallIncome £375 £375 £863
SocialIncome £111 £35 £146 £381
MiscIncome £110
Other trading activities Total £487 £35 £522 £1,353
Investments Interest £2,945 £2,945 £3,175
Investments Total £2,945 £2,945 £3,175
£173,860 £41,080 £214,940 £216,062
Expenditure (6) MissionGiving&Donations -£16,400 -£13,285 -£29,685 -£27,620
(7) MinstryOffer -£77,116 -£856 -£77,972 -£74,828
(8) SalariesWagesNiPension -£13,655 -£11,925 -£25,580 -£44,289
Expenses -£1,136 -£1,527 -£2,664 -£2,939
Evangelism&MissionCosts -£3,012 -£3,012 -£2,788
YoungPeople'sGroups -£552 -£552 -£704
UpkeepOfServices -£2,173 -£2,173 -£4,916
(9) Electricity -£5,300 -£5,300 -£5,525
Gas -£2,894 -£2,894 -£3,186
Water -£573 -£573 -£475
Telephone -£546 -£546 -£464
Insurance -£4,556 -£4,556 -£4,459
Admin -£2,288 -£1,697 -£3,986 -£4,103
HallCosts -£5,977 -£3,978 -£9,955 -£1,758
BkStallCosts -£769 -£769 -£930
Maintenance -£1,416 -£1,416 -£4,049
(10) MajorRepairsToChurch -£10,559 -£10,559
NewBuildingWork -£26,116
OtherExpenditure(Social) -£1,257 -£200 -£1,457 -£1,033
MajorRepairsToHall -£616
Expenditure Total -£123,221 -£26,959 -£33,469 -£183,650 -£210,797
£50,639 -£26,959 £7,610 £31,290 £5,265
----- End of picture text -----

Notes:

(6) Mission distribution is detailed in the Appendix on Page 5.

(7) Ministry Offer includes the full cost of ministry at St Johns plus support to Mission Community Churches to cover two full time clergy across the mission community. Costs are increasing at 3%.

(8) Salaries for 2025 cover the costs of our Church Co-ordinator and CAP centre manager including pension contributions. The difference to 2024 is because 2024 included 6 months of Associate Vicar costs prior to Si's induction as Vicar.

(9) Note Electricity costs were £9.5k in both 2022 and 2023. Hence energy costs have returned to normal over 2024 and 2025. Both utilities have moved to Parish Buying recommended providers in October offering green electricity and green gas options.

(10) See comment (2) above regarding quinnquennial works.

Page 4 of 5

St Johns Hensingham Accounts 2025

Registered Charity No: 1127413

Summary of 2025

This year has been in many ways a "consolidation year". There have been a couple of larger than usual expenditure items (hall chairs and vegetation clearance works). The PCC have been considering how to move forward with recruitment of the Associate Vicar having had no applicants so far in spite of widening the recuitment pool by advertising to curates as well.

It is such a blessing to be able to promote the whole mission of the church through the allocation of financial resources.

In the light of the outlook below: the desire to recruit an Associate Vicar and to ease the inflationary cost pressures; the PCC have decided to migrate bank account giving to the Parish Giving System. The principal reason being that the system allows givers to increase their giving in line with inflation (and to opt out if circumstances change). This has come with a necessary need to simplify accounting structures including combining Associate Vicar giving with the General fund. The Christians Against Poverty fund is to be maintained through PGS.

Outlook going forwards:

Going forwards, we are facing increased non-discretioniary costs in the form of: inflation; ministry offer; maintenance costs and the route to net-zero.

1) Inflation : The costs of inflation impacts most significantly on wages and energy. As we have a policy to pay at least the "Living Wage Foundation" rate (which is slightly higher than the government legal rate), salary costs are increasing at 6.75% per annum. In addition, energy costs remain consistently high, and as the church is a commercial organisation, we do not benefit from consumer rates, though as a charity we benefit from a reduced rate of 5% VAT. To ensure competitive pricing, the gas and electricity supply contracts have beem moved to "Parish Buying", an organisation that uses the collective buying power of around 5,000 parishes nationwide to negotiate favourable rates. Another benefit of using Parish Buying is that their contracts comply with Church of England net-zero guidance and favours renewable electricity. An option has recently been made available through these contracts to purchase "bio-gas". This is being investigated although this attracts a 20% cost premium.

2) Ministry Offer : The diocesan contribution is set at a level that ensures we cover the diocesan ministry costs of two full time clergy across the three churches: St Johns, St Bridgets and St Andrews. This year have entered a Partnership Agreement with the diocese which sets out our aspiration and commitments to resourcing mission over the next few years.

3) Maintenance costs : The quinnquennial inspection in 2021 identified around £60,000 of work to be carried out over five years. This will be carried out as needed and planned. The annual budget setting process will consider how to phase the work and use the maintenance reserve and may required allocation from other designated funds.

4) Route to Net Zero : The Church of England synod has set a target to achieve net-zero by 2030. As a result, the rules regarding fossil fuel boiler replacementrecent have changed necessitating a faculty submission to Carlisle Diocese. The PCC has sought advice from the diocese and completed an energy survey. Whatever option is chosen, additional costs will need to be included in future spending plans. Survey work in 2024 recommended full electric heating which we does not meet our needs for a warm and welcoming church. Additional survey work is planned for 2026 to consider further options.

Appendix: Mission Allocation

----- Start of picture text -----
Mission Account 2025 Restricted Funds
Brought forward from 2024 £695
Estimate of 10 % of 2025 giving & gift aid transferred from General Fund £16,769
Total to distribute £17,464
Mission _ Amount Charity Column1 Disbursement
CAP £1,200 CAP Central £6,000
CCYC £1,200 Church on the Moor £418
Ben & Liz Griffin UFM (UK based) £1,200 Leprosy Mission £219
NISCU £1,380 Walkers Argentina £2,180
Anglican Mission in England £1,200 Fareshare £2,918
Church on the Moor £1,200 Bishop's Harvest Fund £1,001
Calder Deanery Network Youth £600 Mountain Springs Ministries £550
Leprosy Mission Nigeria £1,200 TOTAL £13,285
Serving in Mission £1,200
Albanian Evangelical Mission £1,200
Mountain Springs £1,200
European Mission (Romuald Lasnes) £1,200
Crosslinks (Walkers in Argentina) £1,620
Crosslinks Tore Gibbons (Curate) £800
Total 2025 £16,400
Carry forward to 2026 £1,064
----- End of picture text -----

Page 5 of 5

ST JOHN'S HENSINGHAM l Regi¥lered Charity No". 1127413 FINA￿lAL YEAR ENDED 31 OECEMBER 2025 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Annual Aco)unts Review & Financial Commentsry Fn8nGi81 YearEnd6d 31 DeGembw2025 R¢port D￿.. 07 Alarch 2026 Piwrndby.. Ex8ftYnor (ICAEWMwnt•¢ Toial Ir￿l￿nI 2025 Tctsl E¥ér#lfft2025 £214,919 £185.150 vsf216,067 f210.7•7w 2024 (-12.2W Tow al V•ar End £29,769 £189,178 v# £&26J 2024 fl59.409•7OIA3024 1. Purpose and Scope of this Report Thls ret#Nt has b88n pr•p8fd by an •xamlnor a monknr of tho Inslituto ol Chart•r•d Accountsnt$ lft Eryland and Wale8 IICAEWI we8entth to lh8 Parothlal Church Ccwndl IPCCI of St John'8 ￿en￿ngham. It 8ummarlso8 ts Ibnwc4al and p￿rnan¢0 of cnartty for tm 31 [lec•m￿r 2025 (Reoistered Chanty No.. 11274131. Stat•m8nl of Fln8n(yo1 Advltlo6 ISOFAI. Balance Sheet, Statemonl of As88ts and d•tsW e¥￿ndI￿re anaw. and Ihg naTh8Ove Lxmnmontary ¢ontsinod In th8 ￿1 accounts. und•r Mctlon 14515Xb) of lh• Chorldes A( 2011. Thlo ryryt do•• nol I￿1 gutht ond nv oplnlon on • ruo and tsir 18 therelm given. lThjaF￿nd8nI ex8mhts Itatem￿ ¢)JnfirmB IhBt ￿ mattors haw to attenJon that woukl require dr8¥ing to th& Iru8tee8' notic•. 2. Independent Examiner's Conclusion Following examinabon of the a¢countsrwJ records ar1 CA￿￿18￿ With the ac£oJnts w98entod, no m•it•rn ffl• to th• •xAmSn•f• •tt•nlion that give masonablg cause to beleve tha( in any material . A¢o)unllng records have not boan kgp¢ in ac£tydwTh wilh sfjctv)n 130 of the Chartil8s kt 2011., or Thè •xamin8r ￿ Ihereth saUsfi&J that ts aC(￿Unts have b8on ma1ntsN￿d and that the financlal nfm1enr￿. PrwvJ by l For P898 1

ST JOHN'S HENSINGHAM l Registered Charity No.. 1127413 FIN￿￿CIAL YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2025 3. Financial Performance Overview 3.18ummary of Rwult• £214.919 12024.. £216.(fj21. 0 mwginal of £1.143 (0.5%}. MLY8 swcanlty, totsl exW￿l￿Jr9 fell by £25,647 (12•AI to £185.t50, w"ncipalty as a 018 rodu(#kn In staff costs fcdlcMThJ lh8 Assoc>al• Vicar VI￿nCy th1￿ Iho •bs•nt of Ihè m•ior è¥Jildwo th•1 appottrnd in 2024. Tho re8utt¥N n•t •urply• £29.789 re• 8 Substan￿91 the £5.265 Wus achbmd kn 2024 ano kn8v8s Iho chadty kn a materl81ty strowfinandal aiogory 2025 2024 (Prior Yoar haiigL' Donatsons and Legau8S £208,737 £207.832 +0.4% £2.736 £3,702 46.1% Otfrw Tr•dlng Athil £522 £1.353 1.4% Invesbngnt Incorng £2,924 £3.175 TOTAL INCOME 14.919 £218.CK12 -0.5% 1£185.1S)I 1£210.79TI -12.2% NET SURPLUS £5,285 +465.VA 3.2 Incom• An•ty• DonaUon8 ar#Y Wes to ftxm thg ol al £208,737197.1% of lotsl Incom•l, •ff•ctlvdy frr￿ 20241£207.832). Kty gYnpc￿thts w•: . Glft Ald qlvlng IGAGhlngl: £112.805 - the Irh)Jmo Mn8. a 5.9% Incroaue ￿ tho or year1£106.4741. This comnwlmonl of rngulor F4ann8d givorn. Non-Glft Ald glvlng INGA): £39,951 - up 32.9% from £30,043, a Iu99•8ty Incx•a8•d 8ngagém8nl from givèrs not y•1 onroll•d In Gfft AWJ. . Glft AIO tsx rn¢oY•ry: £30.886- up 35.Th frryn £22.741. r(airwJ Imwovwj redalm. Th• PCC l• •nc4)ur•g•d to en8urn al eug1￿8 ￿1r￿j C￿lIn￿ lo be cy)¥8￿ by (￿rt Ahj dpthralkns. • Coll•ctSon•: £13.334 (2024.. £11.5991- a ￿les¢ Irrn￿e of 14.9%. . Oth•r Glvlng and L•gacl••: £9,699 ojmtiined. Note thal'other GI￿r￿j, fel nlficanty £23,652 10 £8,191. Ilkdy rgfl8dTrJ the absence of on0￿ff cy spou"81 appeal r•e"pts 8e•n In 2024. A 1•gary recglpl of £1.308 • Grants: £2,08212024'. £13.3231- a substanlial r•Juthn. Th8 PCC shJJhJ nxNkn tsther grants Inc￿ from charilaljlg athities (hall ￿lting8 arKI fees) of £2,736 w•J kn¥esIM￿ Inc￿ 01 £2,924 arn t mcJesUy bel¢yw prior Trar levekn bul remain broodty slaijlg. 3.3 Exp•ndltsr• Anaty•l• Total expeThJknre 01 £185.150 a red￿ d £25.847 the k¥KY Trar. Tr tMlnc4pal exp8rKlituro I￿93 are as followE'. Expenditure Itèm 202S 2024 Chango Minlgty Offer l¢knesan ¢)ythbubonl £TT.972 £74,828 +4 I￿ Gmng £29,085 f2T.810 7.5% Prepared by IryJ¢owtht Exanw l FLY

ST JOHN'S HENSINGHAM l Registered Charity No: 1127413 FINANCIAL YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2Q2fj" S8lwles. Wages. Nl aThJ Pensk Malor Repalrs b Chur( IQuiTh]LwffiW) Hall Costs lind. cts.rs Pu￿) £44.289 42.2% £10.559 £1,758 £5.525 -4.1% In•urw• £4.558 2.2% E4.103 -2.9% EvWwi￿ orKt Costs £3.012 +8.0% £3,186 4.2% £2,916 £4.049 Now aulklty Wo £26,118 £12,076 nl• TOTAL EXPENDifuAE £185.150 £210,797 -12.VA . 8•larfM {422%. •avlng £10.709): 2024 InGknl•d •lx month8 of As￿date VIc4r salary c08ts lor to thg incufflbgnfs 98 Wi￿1. No A••oerAt• WAq in PO•t during 2026. produang • signthcant ortryear saviNJ. saviNJ VAI r•¥•rse ¥•1￿ • nvw apwnlTnent i• made. . PAlnl•try Off•r1+4.2%): Th$ dKtesan nmnisty oflor by £3,144 to £77.972. Thls contrfl)uUon covo the full mln5stry costs ol h¥0 Glwgy acrns Ihg m16skn (St Jthn'6. Sl BrhSJrf6. 81 AndrnW?l. Th• off•r18 6xp•d•d to c1)n￿nvO at Apwoximgtgty 3% pw amum. . m￿Or Rwlrn to Chur¢h 1£10,SS•)". TN• roy￿ts quhw•nnlAI dMr•nc• wtyk• b) roth ord C081-offeclfvo m•nnor, 8vokling traditknnal xffi>ld ￿ e(ts. . H•ll Costs1£9.955 v• £1,758): Tho irkyo880 r8llocts tho of hdl thAir8 41 wximat•ty £9.454. Th￿1 lun¢J•d poty th• Gfft Oay fvnd1£3.9781 th• bthnc• {£5,4761 from tho Genw FurKI. Thls Is a caFdtal in¥estment that b8nofft8 th8 thurch cCrfn￿wjnty. . Abson￿ of N•w Bulldlng We￿. In 2024. £26.116 was spent txdkllThJ works. No c4Jnparablo xpenditure arose in 2025. c4)ntribuling to tho irnwovod net p)sitrJn. . En•rgy Co•t•: C(ffi￿ned dKvity w¥J 998 ccts of £8.194 rokvg•wl a mtyJ•8t r•dLth from £8.711 In 2ff24 And tho £10,(m pogk of 2022123, confithng th• to mryw ncffiwl •nMgy cy)8t pric4ng. Balance Sheet and Fund Position 4.1 BalanG• Sh••t Summary Item 2025 2024 Change Cash al Bank In Hand £185.747 £160.811 +15.5% LY.127 +13.6% TOThL ASs￿s £193,842 £167.938 +15A% Cr•ditcvs (du• wllhin l year) 1È4,664} 1£8.5291 4S.3% by Indtpendeni Examw l F Pago 3

ST JOHN'S HENSINGHAM l Registered Charity No.. 11Z7413 FINANCNL YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2025 £189.178 £159. +18.7% The balance sheet derwstrales a heathy aThJ strengttww finanrial Gash al bank ha8 increaaed by £24.&76 to £185.747. a SC￿ IhwKltty base. Crnjltm have twn reducthj from £8.529 to £4.664 145.3%). Ind￿￿tir￿j prompt setuemont of wtstsndiNJ liabiUIi06. Not assets have Increa8ad by £29,769 118.7%). corNstont with th8 TOkNtod SUFpbJs. 42 Fund Anatysls Funds are calew'wj aB Unre8trictsJ IG¢neTrl). D¢8wa10d. •nO Rti¥tric•J. Th• MO￿nent durfng 2025 ' Fund Qp¥t11119 Balance Income Expondi¢ur• Transhrs clo￿￿9 Balance Gengr81 Fund IUnresirtct8dl 1£10.6711 £173.839 1£124.7211 1£22,7691 £15,678 Dg11gn•t•d FuThJs- Totsl £112,394 26.959) £22.789 £108,204 R•W¢#¢(l Fu￿- Ta £57.686 £41.0￿1 1£33,4091 £89,297 GFLIND TOTAL £159.409 £214.919 1£185.1501 T8t4 4. FU￿ A4mM￿lS £189.178 The following obsop4abon$ 8re mode on kèy lurth.. . G•n•ral Fund- r•¢ov•ry from d•lktt: Th? FuThJ oper8d fv yw In deffdt al 410,871 doged ot ￿[tI¥? £15.178. Thlb £26,349 Improvwwt 18 lh8 rnot slgnfflcant F￿11¥• of th• year 8nd INS Imwovement In fijture yearn. . D••lgnt•d Fund• 1£108,2041: Thw hjndj doCre#￿ n￿deSty by É4,1W from £112,394. d￿gnafyd funds include.. Evangelism Re8erye I£SO.Q)01, AS￿￿"￿te Vlc4r Regfft {£20,C4)01, 6￿k1￿9 Fund R08er¥e 1£33.1401. and CAP R8serye {£4,0001. FLThJ ty £4,559 expervjiture (rf£10,559 ijn qulnqu•Mid wryk8. partty off8et by £6.(MXI translw th• G8n8rn1 Fund. . AMo¢l•t• Vlcar R••trl¢t•d Fund 1£26.0261: Th18 fvnd InrAgos•J substsntlany from £0.914, occumulaUNJ giving ¢Jirgcl8d $Fdr￿aHY lo Ihe Asgxkgto Vicar F￿1. Cthty £999 of exF￿allure ladvertlslng a)5ts1 was In¢urrod agalnst thls fvnd In 2025. wowlry b•l•rK• is •pprvpriatsty hohd p•ndfvJ 8 •uccwft ap￿ntrn8nl. • CAP A••trI￿ Fund {Q4.$8n: T&￿Cod £31.336 fdkMlThJ dWr1lab￿ exp￿￿1￿j[e of £20.151. CAP 8Gtivty iemains a elomarrt of the churth's ¢LMnmunlty mrsgM)n. . F•r•Sharn CAP1É2.340): R&Juc•Y fr(yn £4,424 f¢kn￿ng di5trMJrnThnts rf £2.918 th8 ￿r, refi&tt adve dop4oymonl of lunds to ¢A>mmurAfy food aupporL 5, Mission and Community Giving Sl Jthn'8 malnlAln8 a comm1tr7Wrt to localty 8vKJ T(al n￿$Sk￿r￿￿t0d expendi￿re in 2025 Qg,685 12024.. £27,620). I8.￿ ol total •xp•ndltur•. Thi8 C4)mprkne8 £16,400 in mi88k￿ pather al￿alk￿ and £13.285 In dist￿[¥￿￿nts. The misthn gr￿￿j of approx¥natoty 10% 0190rnrn1 and Glft Ald was transfwrod to the Reslrk FuThl1È18.769 tr#t)•fwrndl guppct IB to 14 ml••laft pwtmri IndudhAI.' • Chiistsans W'nst Povwty ICAP)-£1,2(Kl urth arvj Community Yrxth c￿nacI￿ ICCYC)- £12LM) • CrOs￿1￿k$- Walk0￿ In Al￿￿na- £1.620 P8y• 4

ST JOHN'S HENSINGHAM l Registered Charity No: 1127413 FINANCIAL YEAR ENDED 31 OECEVBER 2025 . crc6s1￿k8- Ttye Gibtons ICurate}-£8C • Leprosy mi06￿ Nigeria- £1200 . M￿nI4•n Swir95 Mini¥tth- £1,200 . Europ88n Mi88ion {R￿￿￿j LON￿)-£1.%Xj . NISCU- £1,380 • Angll¢n MI55￿ kn EngLqt>J- £1.2CX) • And five fvrthef mlssth partne Disburn•nrts mado thriThJ Ihe year tolamod £13.285. £6,000 to ChP C¢rtrd. £2,918 to FareSh&re. £2.180 to the Walkats In Argonlina. £1.￿1 to th• 8islw'$ HaNest Fund, £550 to ￿l￿n#In Swirtgs Mini8trfe8. and £219 to the Lepft￿y PAi¥¥ion. A carry4ryward balan￿ of £l.084 i¥ for dkntrJtk)n in 2026. 6. Forward Look and Key Risks oxamlnor gndor808 08 the key rtqulthJ orwrwJ aknllw.. &1 A•wclat• Vlc•r Vacancy Th• ongolng y￿neY for on A88OCbate Vw rwM¢nts thts nTht iwrfKant near-tefm finarKial rrdk. AB noied in 8ocJcn 3.3 at¥ove. the cumt yogr b•nth from a 8aly of appyoxlmalety £18,709. V4hon a sultable app)in¢menl 16 made. thls $8vlThJ ill roverso. WKI IIN? fvm ¢)xl wll flrm thn)ugh t￿ Genoral Fund and MlnW Off•r. Th• acojmulatsd A88ociots fvrKlts IRobtridwJ £26.028 •nd D06w•lod £20.000 • £46.026 lotall provldo IMp￿an1 c•padty to abso￿ Inllwl &)8ts. Th• PCC'• to mvdrnt• to th• P•rf$h Gmng $￿t and •Modato vkar wlthln th• G￿141 FwK1 not•d a• a wMlbl• mpMfiGatkn). 62 Inll•tlon•ry C￿t Pr•••ur•• Infi•thyt al tho F¢xKwJ•tw r•te d 8.75% pw pre88ur•. Th Mlnl•ty Offof inmslng 813% per annum. Energy costs. S1)1￿1. ebvated re18tr￿ to pTr2022 leveb. and thurth do05 frcrfn dry￿StiC c>sumer tariff w0tKtV￿. The Parish Buyw framework prO￿deS somo m￿901￿)ft. T￿ gxamingr rfj¢Crfn￿ the PCC bulld these ￿t0 mulb-J•8r bLW F￿JeCt￿$ to •n8ur• 8U8thlnabl• flnandal plonr￿Nd. 6.3 Qulnqu•nnll Mllnt•n•n￿ Progrnmm• Tho 2021 ouSnquenniol insr¢¢llon id¢nbfiwJ opproxtmotsty £10,1)00 gf r•m•dl•l work• lo be comp501￿ wthln fvo yvars {l.e. by 2026). The £10.559 spont in 2025 dgar¥n(x 1$ a F￿1t￿o St￿. Tha 8ulhJlThJ Fund D￿'Q￿stad ReseNe #lardB 81 £33.140. 8upplèrn￿ by the annual £6.C￿) trangfor from thg Ggn9rg1 Fund. Th 8A Rout• lo N•t Z•ro 8ddibon81 9￿rgY cost of approximatety £15,1)iIO p•r •nnum, 7kMch tho PCC hgs assossed a$ un8ffonJBbla. Further survey work Is pl8nn8J k 2026. Thts Is a matertal caw and revenue Itom and thg PCC shoukl ensure 11 o modelled intrj the foThAnl ffin8th￿l plan 88 to￿ a6 evryey krKMn. 6.6 P•rl•h Glvln9 Sy•t•m {PGS) Mlgr¥Ot*n Th8 planned m•watth of bank acc¢Jml gMThJ to th• Polish System i8 a P?81￿ stop. off8rlrvJ automauc Pwred by Ex￿1 l Fc( tsj P¥9e S

ST JOHN'S HENSINGHAkl l Registered Charity No= 1127413 FINANCIAL YEAR EPIDED 31 DECEldBER 2025 Vkar givirg vnth the Gene￿ Fund) admwrftrakne oy)Wty. The PCC Sh￿ld morkn th8 tran8rt cargfvlty to gnsufe rK) k)ss of Glft ANJ donor e0ntribjti￿g durm the Chatwww. 7. Investment and Interest Income Efficiency Duylng th• •xAminalion it was Obser￿ Ihat intar88t of t2.924 wa¥ aamad ac¥oss th• ehurcth'• bank a¢cx)unts dLKkn9 2025. An8tysis d th• str￿lu￿ rg¢xxd8d in lh &atement of Assets aThJ Uabllllles I￿1￿leS thal ￿ Natwest BUSI￿ Re8￿￿ P4xthinl fld £140242 at y8¥ ffil. thi18 tho GBF Chur( of E￿and DoFwl Fund Imanag&l by CCLA} I￿10 £36.096. Based ￿ prevailwy rat8s during the year, it is estlmated that interest on Nalwesl depwt b8larK6s was eamed at apFKoximatdy 1%. ￿￿131 Ihe CCLA CBF Oep08ii Fund neratsd returns of 8prKoximaldy 4% durry ihe same pwtal. Accoiiiil E%1 RAIÈ Notw￿1 R¢a¢r¥e Ax4¥Jnt £140242 -1.0% -£1,402 CCLA CBF Churth of ENJland OwBtt FWKI -4.0% 1,444 N8tWo8t Currwrt Acoyml I P•ty Ca £9,40kl TOTAL I BLENOED REWRN £185.747 18cbJal} Gfven the Iml of cash reseNes held - £185,747 at yw •nd - lh8 PCC may wl8h to (￿8￿1èr tron8f8thng a larger kvoporbon of Surp￿9 unre8trKtthJ t1esynatsd ftmds Into CCLA CBF Deposit Funa or ty1m￿r •thkal Ifth inv•8lmont ¥¢hlclgS. 4tW0 th18 bo wlth ts Lt￿chI IrNests￿l poky and 1k4U￿￿Y rnqthmeni8. The CCLA CBF D•podt i• d•¥igMd for of Erw por18hg8. off•rn dgly Ilquw. ethtsmy 8crOw￿d, and Is wthy acrom ts dkmo. Tr) c4W rb ￿ th• wlnclO ond wlth the churth's values. A Tealkration of. for oxwnple. £100.000 from the Nalweot Re88rve Ac<ount lo the CCLA fvnd Iretslnlng suffknnl (wal•)nal IKJuidty ￿ thtr GurYty)t accoJntl ctAAd. al curr¢nt dsffer8nti818, ganér8la •ddlllon•l annual Irrt•r••t Incom• of approxlm•t•ly £3.OOH5.000. Th V•Y)uld 8tr•ngth¢n unre81ricted In¢orr lthoui ￿aCIr￿j arry addrt￿l ffiMNial pres8urn ffi thè rAYVggatw. Estimated Annual Interest Scenario Total Cash Currenl ptssilb)n Ibtand8d-1.6%1 £185.747 2.924 IllustraJw.' £11XJk rTKN•J to CCLA14%1 £185.747 s,8 E￿'M￿t•d Athjfoond IrK(r -£2.7rMx5,t 8. Summary and Recommendations In summary, St John's Hen8ryham h•8 h8d 8 lInw￿lY strtry The rettwn of Ih? Gen•rnl Fund to pxitp40 twritory. g hgglthy net suryjlus of £2Y.769. 8 rotXK8t tX8h al £185.74T. and totsl furKts of £189.178 811 l¥eptrJ by ItthperKlenl I for plpawtslwwtoth* Pap6

ST JOHN'S HENSINGHAM l Registsr•d Charity No.. 112741J FIhtANcI￿ YEAR EIJOED 31 DECEM8ER 2025 Rl Budgd IAod•lllng As8odat• VtsrApp¢xntrnent. Mwimty Offer irveaseg at 3% p.a.. Wago UF4rfb. ar#J n•t.zoro Glft Ald O•elaratlon8 Rewow Ihe 8ts1us of Glft AJ dedal80￿ts ts 81 rtsy￿ar p8rtkJAarfy In lht ol th8 PGS R3 Inqu•nnlal VIO￿# PlNkng ogalrol tho FLwJ Ro•w¥• bth #w wxl al 2028. l￿Wj lh• woxhnlty of th• N•t Z•ro 8w¥•y R5 POS Mlytlo R6 R•vl• Ihe $1gnrfKanl r￿UC0￿ wi grant I￿r¥r* £13.323 120241 to £2,082 120251. 11 R7 Inv••kn•nt Ind krt•r••t k¥ppryOtyi d •urygAts rn••r¥•8 to IIM? CCLI CBF Churth ol E￿tsnd Fund. 0•u•d c JThgnl rat• dlllor•nUals1-l% Nalw￿l v• 4% CCLAI. o r•alkr•liw ol •ppmxmatO￿ £l00.C 9. Sign-off lrylepthidenl Exanlner 07 Mgrth 2 Nam•'. -NLi4, ICAEW KtsrTkn8rship No:

ST JOHN'S HENSINGHAM l Registered Charity No: 1127413 FINANCWL YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2025 Pa99 8